Crime is fast becoming a major concern to families, businesses and organizations. Hardly a day passes without some news story relating to a burglary or forced entry into a home or business. Almost everyone knows someone who has had their home, business or organization burglarized resulting in theft, property damage, personal injury, or more serious harm.
Security doors and windows are a well known means of preventing criminals from entering a building through a building opening. Security doors and windows typically consist of heavy metal bars or grates that are placed over a window or door opening to prevent criminals from entering the building. These security systems are typically secured to the building opening in a permanent manner (i.e., they are not removable). U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,590 (Earley), U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,151 (Der Estephanian) and U.S. Pat. No. 1,657,908 (Wulftange) are examples of permanently-mounted security bars or grates.
While permanently-mounted security bars may prevent criminals from breaking into a building they also present serious safety concerns for people in the building. For example, security bars may prevent egress in the event of an emergency such as a fire. A person inside the structure who would normally escape the fire by exiting through a basement or ground floor window could find his or her means of egress blocked.
In response to this serious safety problem, others have sought to develop security bars which can be removed in the event of an emergency. U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,567 (Pierpont), U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,096 (Hade), U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,226 (Woodrow), U.S. Pat. No. 1,507,478 (Gray) and U.S. Pat. No. 999,682 (Suits) are all examples of removable security devices.
However, these removable security bar devices all have certain disadvantages. For example, Pierpont, Hade, Gray and Suits each secure their bars with a key-actuated lock located near the window opening. Operation of a lock would be impossible if the key were lost or misplaced. In addition, operation of a lock may be beyond the ability of a person who is panicking in an emergency situation such as a fire or criminal home invasion. Minimally, a person in a state of panic would require excessive time to actuate the lock; such time may not be available in an emergency. The close proximity of these locks to the window openings may also make these inventions vulnerable to a burglar skilled in dismantling locks.
Even if the security bar of these devices were removable, the location of the window could cause serious problems for a person seeking to exit the building in an emergency. For example, basement and ground floor windows (such as casement windows) are often secured by window bars because they are located near ground level and are potential entry points for burglars. However, these types of windows may be located five or six feet off the floor making it impossible for a person inside the building to climb up to the window in order to exit the building. A ladder would be required to gain access to such a window and a ladder is not typically available--particularly in an emergency situation.
A security system which would prevent ingress through a building window or other opening yet also serve as a ladder-like support to facilitate immediate exit from the building opening by a person inside the building would represent an important advance in the art.